Assembly Notes: Defending our Founding Values

In 2026, our country will mark 250 years since its founding—a moment that should inspire reflection, reckoning, and renewal.

But instead of preparing to honor the full scope of our shared American story, a dangerous movement is rising—one that seeks to erase the truth, silence entire communities, and rewrite history for political gain.

After the Civil War, during Reconstruction, Black Americans made extraordinary strides in civic and economic life. They held elected office, built businesses, and founded schools. In an outraged response, a vicious backlash took hold—one that used violence, legislation, and propaganda to halt their progress.

Today, we are witnessing echoes of that very past. Every time marginalized communities make gains, those threatened by change and progress work to push us backwards. When you silence language, you silence identity. When DEI is targeted, the dignity of those whose stories have only just begun to be told are too. As much as we forfeit our history, our progress as a nation is stunted.

The Trump administration, its allies and complicit corporations are not defending our founding values—they are undermining them. They are attempting to bury the truth rather than confront it, to gatekeep opportunity rather than expand it.

Autocracy is not inevitable. But neither is democracy. We can be a nation that finally tells the full story of who we are and who we’ve been—or one that lets fear write the next chapter.

Let’s face it, sometimes the world feels broken. We can see what needs fixing, yet more and more, it feels like the problems are too big and the bad guys are winning. But the truth is, they’re not. They’re just hoping we stop fighting.

Assembly Required

Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams is a podcast from Crooked Media and Democratic changemaker Stacey Abrams. Stacey knows better than anyone that societal shifts happen when a group of ordinary people decide that a problem is solvable, and are willing to pitch in and work towards the solution.

Each week, Abrams breaks down the biggest issues we face into digestible, actionable items, introduce us to the warriors for good already working towards solutions, strategize, and share tangible ways to get involved. Because we can’t fix everything, everywhere, all at once; but we can each do something, somewhere, soon.

Listen to Assembly Required at link.chtbl.com/FljWwM3T.

10 Steps to Autocracy

Stacey Abrams on Trump Pushing Our Country into Authoritarianism & Being a Black Woman in Politics

Former Georgia State Rep Stacey Abrams talks to Anthony Anderson, guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, about serving as Minority Leader, her “10 Steps to Autocracy” video going viral, how Trump is pushing our country into authoritarianism, what we can do to fight against it.

She also addresses what it’s like being a Black woman in politics, getting nominated for an Emmy for her role in the Black-ish animated special, and her new book Coded Justice.

From politics to writing to the work of building a better world, follow celebrated national leader and bestselling author Stacey Abrams on Substack at staceyabrams.substack.com.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed here, as well as assertions of facts, are those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Urban News.